Many companies, governments and individuals have assets that are mobile and can be moved from place to place. For various reasons it may be desirable to know the specific location of an asset at a given time. For example, the government may wish to know the location of a shipping container for security reasons. In addition, a company may wish to know where a company vehicle or personnel are currently located. Someone operating a large warehouse may benefit from knowing where a particular item is located in the warehouse. Likewise, a construction company working on a large-scale, multi-acre construction site may want to know the location and/or status of its construction equipment (or other equipment) on the site.
Many personal, corporate, or government property items are vulnerable to security threats, theft or vandalism with no effective economical means of protection. Security systems that monitor the premises of a property are usually expensive and typically ineffective. Such monitoring security systems are also typically immobile, require human-intervention, and are slow to respond to trouble.
Modern technologies may be used in tracking assets. Computer and communication technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, computer and communication technologies are involved in many aspects of a person's day. For example, many devices being used today by consumers have a small computer incorporated within the device. These small computers come in varying sizes and degrees of sophistication. These small computers may vary in sophistication from one microcontroller to a fully-functional complete computer system. For example, small computers may be a one-chip computer, such as a microcontroller, a one-board type of computer, such as a controller, a typical desktop computer, such as an IBM-PC compatible, etc.
Computers typically have one or more processors. The processor(s) usually are interconnected to different external inputs and outputs and function to manage the particular computer or device. For example, a processor in a thermostat may be connected to buttons used to select the temperature setting, to the furnace or air conditioner to change the temperature, and to temperature sensors to read and display the current temperature on a display.
Many electronic devices include one or more small computers. For example, thermostats, furnaces, air conditioning systems, refrigerators, telephones, typewriters, automobiles, vending machines, and many different types of industrial equipment now typically have small computers, or processors, inside of them. Computer software runs the processors of these computers and tells the processors what to do to carry out certain tasks. For example, the computer software running on a thermostat may cause an air conditioner to stop running when a particular temperature is reached or may cause a heater to turn on when needed.
Wireless communication technologies have also advanced to allow remote communication between people and devices. Common examples of wireless communication devices include cellular telephones, pagers, radio transmitters, cordless telephones, etc. As wireless communication technologies continue to advance, it is easier and cheaper to communicate without the need of wired devices.
Benefits may be realized if means were provided to enable assets to be effectively tracked through the use of modern wireless and computer technologies.